Manitoba pedophile suspected in more crimes
Updated Tue. Aug. 31 2004 11:32 PM ET
Canadian Press
WINNIPEG -- RCMP are investigating whether convicted pedophile and killer Robert Bliss Arthurson committed sex crimes against three more young girls.
Mounties from the Manitoba capital spoke to Arthurson last week at the Bowden Correctional Institution in central Alberta, where he provided three names that are not among his list of known victims, said Sgt. Steve Colwell.
"He did provide investigators with three names of females that were youths at the time. And we are going to attempt to locate them and question them."
Arthurson is serving a life sentence for the strangulation death of 13-year-old Sarah Kelly in The Pas, Man., in 1994.
Before than, he had already racked up a criminal record of sexual assaults against children dating back to 1985, including a 1989 offence of procuring sexual favours from three 12-year-old girls.
The Mounties' interest in Arthurson was renewed earlier this month when the pedophile stunned his parole board hearing by saying he has up to 16 victims in total, including crimes that police don't know about.
Police believe the three previously unknown crimes for which Arthurson is claiming responsibility occurred in Manitoba between 1991 and 1994, but did not involve violence.
"We believe that they are sexual in nature," said Colwell.
"However, they are the type of (alleged) offences where no physical harm came to any of the victims. I can't really elaborate on that now."
RCMP said the three potential new victims may have moved out of the province. Mounties are checking whether they filed any complaints with police.
The parole board denied Arthurson's parole request. The board's report pointed to several problems with his behaviour:
-- Arthurson has refused to take medication that dulls his sex drive since 2000.
-- He continues to "ignore and minimize" the dangers associated with pedophilic fantasies.
-- He has admitted to having deviant sexual fantasies after being at events at the Bowden prison attended by children of other inmates.
Soon after the parole board issued its report, officials at the medium-security institution barred Arthurson from attending social functions where children are present.
